ABOUT LISA SMITH-BATCHEN

     Born in Vicksburg, Mississippi, Lisa grew up with 3 older brothers and a younger sister. Growing up, all 5 of the siblings were involved with sports, and Lisa was able to try everything from ballet, tap and jazz dance to ice hockey and of course, running.

     Unbelievably, Lisa's very first ultramarathon was the legendary Badwater Ultramarathon in 1995 where she earned 2nd place in the women's division. She set the women's record two years later with a finishing time of 37 hours and 01 minute. Eleven years after her Badwater debut, she decided to double the race. She is now the only female to have run the "Badwater Double" -- also known as the "Death Valley 300".

     By the time adventure racing came exploded on to the scene in American in the form of the reality show "Eco Challenge" Lisa was already an accomplished endurance athlete and it was no surprise that she was asked to participate in the Eco-Challenge in New England in 1996, followed by the Eco-Challenges in British Columbia and Australia.

     In 1999, Lisa achieved something no American has yet to duplicate: winning at the infamous "Marathon des Sables." She was took the prize for the women's division, and still stands as the only American to have ever earned an MdS trophy. As an added bonus, she met Jay Batchen who was part of a crew filming the event for Outdoor Life Network documentary on the race.  Less than a year later, they were married.

     But Lisa is known for more than her racing-- she is a unflagging fundraiser and advocate for children who have lost both mother and father to AIDS. Her 2006 Badwater Double raised $294,000 for AIDS Orphans Rising. She also introduced other ultramarathoning legends such as Ray Zahab and Marshall Ulrich to the work of the Religious Teachers Filippini and AIDS Orphans Rising, and they too began to use their talents to fundraise. In 2002, Lisa and Marshall were invited by Pope John Paul II to visit the Vatican so he could thank them in person for their work raising money.

     Stories about Lisa's athletic achievements have appeared on the covers of The NY Times, The LA Times, The Washington Post, Running Times Magazine. Additionally, she has appeared in Runner’s World, Sports Illustrated for Women, ESPN Magazine, Outside Magazine, Ultrarunning and numerous other national and international publications. Television coverage includes segments on ESPN, Discovery Channel, ABC’s Wide World of Sports, NBC’s Nightly News with Tom Brokaw and Good Morning America. She was a main character in a feature length film on the Badwater Ultramarathon, entitled Running On the Sun. She has also appeared in two Outdoor Life Network specials on the Marathon des Sables.

     Lisa currently lives in Driggs, Idaho in the Teton Valley where she runs Dreamchaser Outdoor Adventure Events with her husband, Jay. They have two daughters, Annabelle (5) and Gabby (2), both of whom keep Jay in tip-top shape.